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MRS. PARTINGTON.

The "original Mrs. Partington " was a respectable old lady, living at Sidmouth, in Devonshire. Her cottage was on the beach, and during an awful storm (that, I think, of November, 1824, when some fifty or sixty ships were wrecked at Plymouth) the sea rose to such a height as every now and then to invade the old lady's place of domicile; in fact, almost every wave dashed in at the door. Mrs. Partington, with such help as she could command, with mops and brooms, as fast as the water entered the house, mopped it out again; until at length the waves had the mastery, and the dame was compelled to retire to an upper story of the house. The first allusion to the circumstance was made by Sidney Smith, in a speech on the Reform Bill, in which he compared the Conservative opposition to the bill to be like the opposition of "Dame Partington and her mop, who endeavored to mop out the waves of the Atlantic."

MATRIMONIAL ADVERTISEMENT.

Mr. Burke, in his Anecdotes of the Aristocracy, furnishes the following specimen of an advertisement of Sir John Dinely for a partner :

To the angelic fair of true English breed,-Sir John Dinely, of Windsor Castle, recommends himself and his ample fortune to any angelic beauty of good breed, fit to become and willing to be a mother of a noble heir, and keep up the name of an ancient family, ennobled by deeds of arms and ancestral renown. Ladies at a certain period of life need not apply, as heirship is the object of the ladies' sincere admirer, Sir John Dinely. Fortune favors the bold. Such ladies as this advertisement may induce to apply or send their agents (but not servants or matrons), may direct to me at the Castle, Windsor. Happiness and pleasure are agreeable objects, and should be regarded as well as honor. The lady who thus becomes my wife will be a baronetess, and rank accordingly as Lady Dinely of Windsor. Good and favor to all ladies of Great Britain. Pull no caps on his account, but favor him with your smiles, and pæans of pleasure await your steps.

AMERICAN SURNAMES.

The changes that have taken place in family names during the short period that has elapsed since the settlement of America by Europeans, lead us to believe in the greater changes that are reported to have occurred in surnames in the Old World.

Whenever William Penn could translate a German name into a corresponding English one, he did so, in issuing patents for land in Pennsylvania: thus, the respectable Carpenter family in Lancaster are the descendants of a Zimmerman.

Many Swedish and German names have suffered change: from Soupli has come Supplee; from Up der Graeff, Graeff and Updegrove; from Hendrick's son, Henderson. The district of Southwark, in this county, covers ground once owned by a Swede named Swen. His son was called Swen's son, from whom the Swanson family derived their name. The Vastine family came from a Van de Vorstein.

A person whose family name was Sturdevant, Englished it into Treadaway a few years ago; and a family which during the Revolution spelt their name Boehm have since softened it into Bumm.

One of two

Occasionally a French name is translated. brothers living near Philadelphia, is known as Mr. La Rue, his brother as Mr. Street. Several New England names are corrupted from those of the French Acadians: thus, Bumpus comes from Bon pas, Bunker from Bon cœur, and Peabody from Picbaudier.

Buckalew is evidently a corruption of Buccleugh, and Chism of Chisholm.

A large family in Virginia and other southern States spell their name Taliaferro, and pronounce it Toliver. Have they any connection with the Norman Taillefer?

SACK.

This is the same wine which is now named sherry. Falstaff calls it sherris sack, and also sherris only, using in fact both names indiscriminately (2 Henry IV., Act IV. Sc. 3). For various commentaries regarding it, see Blount's Glossographia; Dr. Venner's Via recta ad Vitam longam, published in 1637; Nare's Glossary, &c. Cotgrave, in his Dictionary, makes sack to be derived from vin sec, French. In a MS. account of the disbursements by the chamberlain of the city of Worcester for 1592, Dr. Percy found the ancient mode of spelling to be seck, and thence concluded that sack is a corruption of sec, signifying a dry wine. Moreover, in the French version of a proclamation for regulating the prices of wines, issued by the Privy Council in 1633, the expression vins secs corresponds with the word sacks in the original. The term sec is still used as a substantive by the French to denote a Spanish wine; and the dry wine of Xeres is known at the place of its growth by the name of vino seco. foregoing account is abridged from The History of Ancient and Modern Wines, by Alex. Henderson, Lond. 1824. The following is taken from Cyrus Redding's History of Modern Wines, Lond. 1833:

The

In the early voyages to these islands (the Canaries), quoted in Ashley's collection, there is a passage relative to sack, which will puzzle wise heads about that wine. It is under the head of "Nicols' Voyage." Nicols lived eight years in the islands. The island of Teneriffe produces three sorts of wine, Canary, Malvasia, and Verdona, "which may all go under the denomination of sack." The term then was applied neither to sweet nor dry wines exclusively, but to Canary, Xeres (i. e. sherry), or Malaga generally. In AngloSpanish dictionaries of a century and a quarter old, sack is given as Vino de Canarias. Hence it was Canary sack, Xeres sack, or Malaga sack.

It may not be amiss here to quote the praises of sack as sounded by Falstaff (2 Henry IV. Act IV. Sc. 3):

birth

"It ascends me into the brain; dries me there all the foolish, and dull, and crudy vapours which environ it; makes it apprehensive, quick, forgetive, full of nimble, fiery, and delectable shapes, which, delivered o'er to the voice (the tongue), which is the frith, becomes excellent wit. ***** * If I had a thousand sons, the first human principle I would teach them should be,-to forswear their potations, and addict themselves to sack."

THOMSON'S HOUSE AND CELLAR.

None of the biographers of Thomson seem to have fallen in with a copy of the catalogue of his effects, disposed of by auction after his death in 1749. Thomson's residence for several years preceding his death was a snug cottage in Kewfoot Lane, near Richmond. The situation is one of the finest in that fine district. The cottage was embowered in trees and shrubbery, and behind it was a garden, in which the lazy good-humored poet took his ease of an afternoon, and muttered his verses throughout the moonlight nights. His garden-seat and writing-table are still preserved; but the cottage has been enlarged into a handsome villa, and the garden has been extended and improved so as to become one of the most exquisite and richly ornamented in that patrician neighborhood. Yet even in Thomson's time the cottage at Kewfoot Lane was a desirable residence; and the poet, after weathering many difficulties, had succeeded in gathering around him at least a moderate share of the comforts and elegancies of life. If his little Castle of Indolence could not boast its costly tapestry, huge covered tables and couches, "the pride of Turkey and of Persia land," there was no lack of respectable bachelor accommodation, with an assortment of valuable prints and books, and a cellar that could have supplied a dozen of jovial banquets to Quin, Armstrong, Lyttelton, Mitchell, and those other select friends whom he delighted to entertain, and by whom he was so tenderly beloved. But let us look at the differ

ent items in the sale catalogue, which consists of eight pages

octavo.

The first division, marked "No. 1, right hand, two pair of stairs," seems to be the furniture of an inferior bedroom, the whole of which is valued at 47. 2s. 6d., including what the auctioneer calls "a piece of ruins in a carved frame." No. 2 is a closet, containing feather-bed and portmanteau, valued at 17s. No. 3, left hand, two pair of stairs, was a better bedroom, containing a four-post bedstead, with blue harrateen furniture, four walnut-tree arm-chairs with black leather seats, a chimney glass, and mahogany table; the contents of this room are valued at 81. 7s. No. 4, one pair of stairs, was evidently the best bedroom. It had a bed with moreen furniture and other accessories, valued at El. 2s. 6d.; festoon window curtains, bottle cistern, walnut dressing-table and mirror, four walnut chairs, steel stove, &c.; the whole being valued at 137. 12s. 6d. No 5, one pair of stairs, had a Turkey carpet valued at 17. 11s. 6d.; a mahogany chest of drawers, 17. 10s.; a sofa, 27. 2s. ; a mahogany writing-table, 17. 3s.; four mahogany elbow chairs with yellow worsted damask seats, 27. 10s.; a walnut-tree easy chair with matted seat and back, 12s.; mahogany pillar and claw, carved needlework fire-screen, with quilted case, 27. 2s.; dining table, 12s.; with sconce for candles, yellow damask window curtains, &c.; the whole valued at 187. 15s. No. 6, back parlor, possessed a steel stove, two walnut and three smoking chairs, dumb waiter, book shelves, a Scotch carpet (set down at 10s. 6d.), &c.; the whole valued at 5l. 6s. 6d. No. 7, left-hand parlor, had its writing-table, claw table, window curtains, &c., valued at 37. 11s. 6d. No. 8, right-hand parlor, was evidently the principal sitting-room. It was decorated with a Scotch carpet, 10s. 6d. ; a dining table, 17. 11s. 6d. ; a sconce, 17. 5s.; six mahogany elbow chairs, with green worsted damask seats, 37. 12s.; a backgammon table complete, with chessmen, 10s. 6d.; and other articles, the whole valued at 11. 19s.

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